Associations and federations

The German Research Foundation

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is the central, independent research funding organisation in Germany. It serves all branches of science. The DFG is an association under private law. Its member organisations include research universities, non-university research institutions, scientific associations and academies of the sciences and humanities.

The DFG is financed primarily by the German federal and state governments, which are accordingly represented in all of the funding bodies. The voting system and procedural rules ensure that decisions are made scientifically.

Source (edited): https://www.dfg.de/en/dfg_profile/mission/what_is_the_dfg/index.html

German Federation of Industrial Research Associations

The German Federation of Industrial Research Associations – AiF for short - is the leading national organisation with an industry-supported network, for the promotion of research, transfer and innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The AiF aims to initiate applied research and development (R&D) for SMEs, as well as to qualify the new generation of academics in innovative fields. The organisation also aims to organise the distribution of scientific knowledge. These objectives are important as they ensure that SMEs remain a stable basis of the German economy in the future and can maintain their international competitiveness.

Source (edited): https://www.aif.de/english/about-aif.html

German Forging Association

 

The German Forging Association provides services and information for forging companies in Germany. It is a partner of the massive forming industry, as well as with machine and plant manufacturers and service providers in the industry.

Source (edited): https://www.massivumformung.de/

The International Academy for Production Engineering

The College International pour la Recherche en Productique (CIRP) is the world leading organisation in production engineering research. All members were elected on the basis of their outstanding research in production engineering. The joint contribution to the expansion of the manufacturing technology knowledge base lies in the bundling of the world's leading companies and research institutes.

However, the C.I.R.P.'s technical activities, conferences and publications are only one side of the organisation. Close relationships between the individual members make the CIRP a world-leading organisation in the field of production engineering research.

Source (edited):  https://www.cirp.net/

 

German Academic Association for Production Technology

The German Academic Association for Production Technology (WGP) is a consortium of leading German professors of production technology. It unites around 1,000 production engineering scientists in the Federal Republic of Germany. The WGP was founded in 1987 as the successor organisation to the "Hochschulgruppe Betriebswissenschaften (HBW)", later the "Hochschulgruppe Fertigungstechnik (HGF)", which was founded in 1937.

The WGP sees itself as a body representing the interests of research and teaching, in the field of production technology, in the scientific, social and political spheres of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Source (edited): https://wgp.de/en/about-us/  

Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA)

Part of the VDMA's service is to provide a platform for member companies that may also be competitors. These activities and the provision of the association’s services to members must be in line with the rules that ensure undistorted competition. For the VDMA, this is more than just fulfilling a legal obligation: as a leading trade association, it is committed to providing free and fair competition, and the VDMA member companies successfully face this competition on a daily basis.

Source (edited): https://www.vdma.org/

German Machine Tool Builders’ Association (VDW)

The VDW is a trade association for the metalworking industry and represents the interests of its members to legislators, customer industries and the public. At the same time, the VDW offers a platform for the industry-specific exchange of opinions and experience. One of the association's focal points is dedicated joint research in close cooperation with production technology research institutes.

Source (edited): https://vdw.de/

Manufacturing Innovations Network (MIN)

Those who want to be successful in the future must already know the market needs and technological trends of tomorrow. Industry and research are confronted with, among other things, shorter innovation cycles, more complex system products, an increasing number of variants and individual customer wishes with a faster time-to-market and higher cost pressure.

Dynamic organisations are a key to meeting these challenges. Based on a mature structural concept, result-oriented processes are developed in the MIN, thus supporting partners in accelerating the pace of research and development.

Source (edited): www.machining-network.com

Society for the Advancement of Applied Computer Science

The GFaI is a private non-profit research institute in the field of applied computer science. The GFaI supports partners in their innovations, by providing industry-related and application-oriented research and development services. When it comes to technology transfer, the GFaI occupies an exemplary position in successfully transferring innovative research results into industrial products within the German research landscape.

Source (edited): https://www.gfai.de/en/

Research Association for Steel Application (FOSTA)

The Research Association for Steel Application (FOSTA) is a non-profit and legally independent research association within the steel sector. As a community organisation, it represents the interests of the steel industry in the field of application research, together with the users for the material steel and its range of product forms.

Source (edited): www.stahlforschung.de/en/about-us.html

Steel Institute (VDEh)

Arising from the Association of German Steel Manufacturers (VDEh), the Düsseldorf-based Steel Institute VDEh has been the forum dealing with technical-scientific and technical-economic aspects of the steel industry since 1860. Whereby, in addition to steel producers, both plant manufacturers and other suppliers of the steel industry are also involved in the process. The Steel Institute VDEh currently has about 4,200 members in Germany and abroad, as well as supporting and collaborative member companies in the steel and supplier industry in Germany and Europe.

Source: https://www.vdeh.de/en/about-us.html

Research Association for Tools and Materials (FGW)

The FGW (Forschungsgemeinschaft Werkzeuge und Werkstoffe e. V.) is a private, non-profit institution for applied research. Founded by the German tool industry in 1952, the FGW supports companies in the industrial transfer of innovative ideas. The focus lies in the research areas of tools, materials and transformation and innovation. Research is conducted within the framework of publicly funded collaborative research, as well as in direct contact development for companies.

Source (edited): https://www.fgw.de/

European Research Association for sheet metal processing (EFB)

 

The EFB organises and promotes industry research as joint projects, in which experts from industry and research can participate in or propose projects directly. Project ideas and ongoing projects are presented, discussed and evaluated in expert working groups.

The EFB advises and initiates future-oriented research roadmaps for relevant industries. It ensures the knowledge transfer of project results along different channels, such as events and trade fairs. Contacts between business and research partners, as well as users and suppliers, are developed continuously and for specific purposes.

Source (edited): https://www.efb.de/

German Metal Forming Association (AGU)

 

The AGU aims at the further development of forming technology based on technical-economic grounds, according to the priorities set out in DIN 8582 to 8588 and 8593, with the main focus on:

  • Technology including design, tools, machine tools and environment, process design and simulation,
  • Operational organization in national and international cooperation through research and development, via the transfer of technology to and cooperation with industry, and through the dissemination relevant knowledge.

Source (edited): http://www.umformen.de/index.php/en/mission

Research Society for Steel Forming (FSV)

The FSV is an organisation of the steel forming industry that actively supports its member associations and their member companies in the implementation of joint projects. The FSV brings its close contacts to the project sponsors and sound knowledge of the regulations to research projects, so that the companies can concentrate fully on the technical support of the projects and on the internal implementation of the results.

The FSV does not conduct research itself. The FSV helps interested member companies of the trade associations to find partners to cooperate with for research projects; coordinates and accompanies the projects initiated by the companies or institutes, provides funding and handles the projects with regards to the project sponsors.

Source (edited): www.fsv-hagen.de